Door check and closer



F. M. NEWELL Aug. 27, 1940.

DOOR CHECK AND CLOSER v \w 5 a \w \w a8 a a in \q ZEZZ Q Q m Q Filed Aug. 17, 1939 Patented Aug. 27, 1940 K it OFFCE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in door checks and closers and pertains particularly to an air check wherein novel and improved features of construction are employed.

The present invention has for its primary object to provide a door closer and check employing a piston and cylinder check unit and a coupling means between the piston and the door frame which is so designed as to facilitate the opening of the door on which the device is mounted to a greater degree than is possible with similarly designed devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a device of the character described, a novel piston cylinder construction which is so designed that it may be constructed of light weight material and assembled in such manner that the cost of production will be materially less than the cost of producing similar cylinders where the body of the cylinder is formed of cast material and the ends are secured to the cylinder by screw threads or other means involving costly construction operations.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in a door check and closer a novel means for securing the piston cylinder to the body of the door whereby it will be firmly held in position thereon.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a device of the character set forth, a novel form of coupling link between the piston rod and the door frame whereby the door is permitted to open to its fullest extent.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing: I

Fig. 1 is a View in elevation of the device embodying the present invention, showing the same applied.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device showing the cylinder in longitudinal section.

Fig. 3 is a View of one of the cylinder clamping rings.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line i -4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating a modification of the link supporting bracket.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the numeral l generally indicates a portion of a door frame in which is mounted a door 2 which may be a screen door or similar type of door upon which checks and closers are .employed. The present check and closer device is designed particularly to be used upon doors which swing outwardly, such as screen doors orthe like, the check and closer being mounted upon the inner side of the door and connecting thesame with the inside of the door frame.

The present device comprises a piston cylinder 3 which in accordance with the present invention is formed of a suitable light weight sheet metal such as tin, being rolled upon a suitable mandrel and suitably seamed longitudinally to form the cylinder barrel. One end of the cylinder barrel is closed by a metal cap 4 which is secured to the end of the barrel in a suitable manner while the other or rear end of the cylinder barrel is closed by the Wood plug 5 the metal of the barrel being secured to the plug by crimping the end of the barrel into the encircling channel 6 which is formed in the plug.

In the head or front end of the cylinder, the cap 3- is suitably apertured to receive a screw 7 which upon its inner end carries within th cylinder the metal head 8 between which and the cap 5 is a rubber valve body 9. The aperture through which the screw passes is relatively large as compared to the screw diameter and the metal of the head 4 as radial grooves HI pressed therein which extend beyond the rubber valve 9.

as illustrated. Upon the outer end of the screw '5 is a nut H which, when it is tightened up on the screw against the head 4, compresses the rubber body 9 so as to partially close the air grooves Hi leading to the opening through which the screw passes.

The closure plug 5 at the inner end of the cylinder barrel is centrally apertured to receive the stem i2 of a piston l3 which snugly fits within the barrel and surrounding this stem and interposed between the piston l3 and the plug 5 is an expansion spring M which normally urges the piston toward the front end of the barrel. The end of the stem H2 at the rear end of the piston cylinder is turned to form the lateral hinge finger l5.

The numeral I6 indicates a coupling link which connects the piston stem finger l5 with the door frame I when the check and closer device is mounted in operative position. This link is preferably in the form of a flat bar which through 2 may be swung through a greater arc than is the major portion of its length is of arcuate form, as indicated at H, and the remaining or minor portion of the link length is oppositely directed to the portion H, as indicated at [8. The link thus takes the form roughly of an ogee curve wherein one of the two curved portions is of greater length and is struck on a greater radius than the other portion. The free end of the portion H of the link which is the portion of greatest curvature is apertured, as indicated at [9, to receive the hinge finger l5 of the piston stem, and the concave side of this curved portion is directed toward the door body 2 on which the piston cylinder is mounted. The shorter curved end portion It has its convex side directed toward the door and is pivotally attached to the frame i by a supporting bracket 26. This particular bracket 2i! is shown as having a substantially U-shaped form in cross-section so as to provide the two spaced side ears 2i between which the inner end of the link is pivotally connected by means of the pivot pin 22. The yoke portion of the bracket 26 is attached by a screw 23 or in any other suitable manner to the door frame atthe side of the same, of course, to which the door 2 is hinged. While the bracket indicated by the numeral 25 is the form preferred for attaching the coupling link to the door frame, there may be employed an angle bracket of the type shown in Fig. 5 and indicated generally by the numeral 2 3, in which case the horizontally disposed portion of the angle which is indicated at 25, would carry the pivot rivet 26 to which the short curved end of the link it is attached.

The piston cylinder 3, as previously stated, is firmly secured to the inner side of the door by means of the-bracket clamps 2?. As shown, each of these clamps is formed of a single piece of metal which is shaped about the barrel of the piston cylinder to form the ring 28, and one end of the clamp extending tangentially from the ring to form the terminal 29 while the other end is reversely bent to form the second terminal 36, which terminals are brought into superposed relation to have mounting screws 3i passed through apertures formed therein. Thus it will be seen that as the terminal portions of the clamp rings are drawn together and against the body of the door, the ring 23 will be closed about the piston cylinder so as to firmly clamp the same and hold it against movement. While other types of clamps might be employed, this specific type is preferred in view of the ease with which the double function of clamping the cylinder and firmly securing it to the wall may be accomplished.

From the foregoing, it will be readily understood that the present device is mcunted in a horizontal plane against the inner side of the door 2 and that the piston cylinder is firmly held against movement with respect to the door, the only pivotally supported element being the coupling link it between the stem l2 of the piston and the bracket 29 which is mounted on the door frame. By reason of the peculiar form of the link it, it will be readily apparent that the door possible with other types of checks and closers where there are employed straight coupling links between the check piston and the door frame or Where the piston stem of the check is directly pivotally coupled to a bracket on the frame. With such constructions it is only possible to swing the door through approximately whereas with the present device it is possible to swing the door back substantially to a position where its outer side will be parallel with the wall in which the door frame is mounted.

While the device has been illustrated and described as having a spring member in the cylinder for forcing the piston in a direction which will effect the closing of the door to which the device is attached, it will be understood that the device may be used solely as a check if desired, by leaving out the spring as in some instances screen doors are provided with spring operated hinges by which they are forced into closed position, therefore, the device, when the spring It has been left out, may be employed as a check.

What is claimed is:

1. A door check and closer, comprising a piston cylinder, a piston within the cylinder and having a stem extending through an end of the cylinder, means for securing said cylinder against movement to the body of a door, a bracket adapted to be connected with the door frame adjacent the hinged side of the door, a rigid link having an end pivotally attached to said bracket and having its other end pivotally connected with said piston stem, said link being of longitudinally arcuate form throughout the major extent of its length and then extending straight through the remaining portion to one end and disposed with respect to the door carrying the piston cylinder with the concave side directed toward the door, resilient means urging the movement of the piston to draw the stem into the cylinder, and means for bleeding air from the cylinder between the end of the same and the piston.

2. A door check and closer, comprising a piston cylinder, a piston slidable in the cylinder and carrying a stem extending through an end of the cylinder, spring means in the cylinder urging the piston to move toward one end to draw the stem into the cylinder, air bleeding means in the said one end of the cylinder, a rigid link member comprising a bar having a major portion thereof longitudinally curved and the remaining portion reversely bent to extend straight to the end, the end of the major portion being pivotally attached to said piston stem, a bracket for attachment to the inner side of a door frame and having the end of the reversely bent straight portion pivotally attached thereto, the said pivots being parallel and vertically disposed when the check is in operation and the concave side of the major curved portion being directed toward the door on which the cylinder is mounted, said straight portion being substantially parallel with the said inner side of the frame when the door is swung open through an arc of and means for securing the cylinder to said door.

FRANK M. NEWELL. 

